Jersey is set to welcome a new sport to the island, with the launch of the HIGHVERN Pickleball Autumn League. The 6-week taster event is set to inspire people of all ages to try out the racket sport, after it was hailed as the fastest growing sport in America last year. Pickleball is now played in 62 countries, with a staggering 4.8 million players joining the sport last year alone.
The tournament will take place from October on outdoor courts at Pickleball Jersey’s home at St Clement Golf and Sports Centre Sports, where organiser Tom Price has been promoting the sport over the last month.
Tom said: “Following the success of Padel tennis on the island, I have been keen to introduce Pickleball which is a much more inclusive sport that’s easy to pick up and learn. It’s been described as a combination of badminton, short tennis, and ping pong where players are quick to develop rallies and improve their game.
“We hope this fun, relaxed tournament will encourage people to come along and find out more, before we launch a new season in full in 2023.”
Jersey Pickleball is being supported by sponsors HIGHVERN who are helping to launch the sport and publicise upcoming events, as well as getting its employees involved in playing.
Chief Executive of HIGHVERN, Martin Hall, said: “Pickleball is a sport which is played by our team members in other jurisdictions, so we were keen to get the Jersey office involved to build a shared love of the sport. Having had a few HIGHVERN coaching sessions to date I can confirm that it’s a sport pretty much everyone can play. We’re also looking forward one day to challenging others in our industry to a friendly match or two.”
For more information on the League and to get involved please visit www.facebook.com/Jerseypball